For sure it’s time. If you’re not planning, or at least thinking about, a mobile version of your website by now, then get ready to play catch-up.
Mobile is catching on. Wireless companies are finally bringing some smart phones to market that browse the web fairly well. As an early adopter, I’ve been wanting the web and email from my phone for at least 5 or 6 years, and not until the last 2 years did that really happen. And believe me, I tried every device that came out claiming it could do it. Even since it did happen, I’ve had to carry around what isn’t all that different from a brick in terms of shape, size and weight.
Well, they’re getting better, they’re getting slimmer and they’re actually becoming reliable. I would argue that it’s really tough to beat the combination of a Windows Mobil 6 device with Microsoft Exchange server. That puts your contacts, calendar and precious email in your hands at all times with very little setup or maintenance. Business owners will go with a smart phone for that reason alone, then they’ll realize one day that they can access the web through the same device.
So, it’s inevitable, mobile web content is becoming a necessity.
Now the question is, what does a website owner do about it? And how soon?
Start thinking about it now. Start determining which parts of your website a customer might want on the road: the hours you’re open; your current inventory of products they regularly buy; directions to your facility. These are pretty basic things, and would be surprisingly easy to have them added to your site in a mobile friendly manner.
Mobile users are likely to be after small bits of information about your business, not reading your corporate history. The content should be trimmed down to what they’ll want, which gives you an advantage in this new challenge. You don’t have to over think this mobile web design thing and make it harder than it is. It’s not an all or nothing deal. Start somewhere, with the basics and see what kind of use/response it generates.
As you see results from adding small parts of your website in a mobile version, add more to it based on user feedback and analytics.
January 15th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
the mobile internet is going to be huge soon. Google is preparing their mobile ad networks, so you know there is growth to be made!
January 25th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
No doubt, Google’s involvement will push us along the path a little further. I think the market will continue to demand more and more mobile content too.